Consume the Soul
by Jyira Keller
Summary: Reincarnated as a human with no memories of who he used to be Julian finds himself with new friends drawn into the Shadow World. Recovering his memories there he is given a choice - remain as mortal, or join the Shadow World and get his revenge.
1. Prologue

Title: Consume the Soul  
  
Author: Jyira  
  
Email: jyira@yahoo.co.uk  
  
Spoilers: Forbidden Game, all books  
  
Disclaimers: All ideas and characters from the Forbidden Game books belong to LJ Smith, I'm just borrowing them for fun. Anything unrecognised is mine.   
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Julian is reincarnated as a human boy with no memories of who he used to be. His position in the Shadow World has been replaced. Due to some unfortunate events Julian is soon trapped in his old world playing one of his own games to survive. Can he recover his memories, even if he does, will Jenny even want to save him?  
  
Prologue  
  
Blue: a colour impossibly bright, like the sky at dawn. For a brief moment Jenny Thornton thought she felt arms around her, a warm caress of soft breath on her face, a gentle kiss on her cheek. She sighed luxuriously, reaching out to touch the figure the impossibly blue eyes belong to.  
  
Opening her eyes, Jenny sighed, only to find herself alone. It wasn't the first time she'd dreamed of him, imagined herself waking up with him.   
  
The others had already forgotten. They'd deliberately refused to talk about it. Anything to help them forget. Jenny guessed she couldn't blame them. Julian was still in her thoughts at least three times a day. Most of the time, during the Games, she'd hated him. Now it was over, and he was gone. "Nothing dies as long as it's not forgotten. Dream me into a different dream," he'd said. She couldn't just forget about him. Did she really care what that said about her?  
  
Jenny sat up, and sank back against her pillows, sighing, almost sadly. She'd repainted her walls to match his eyes. She'd probably never get the exact colour right.   
  
Yawning, she looked over at her alarm clock. 6: 45, the green number read. She had to get up in another half an hour. Count down to finals had begun, her first year of college was almost over. Jenny had a tone of studying she could be doing though at the moment Jenny didn't feel like leaping out of bed to study. She debated on calling Dee. Dee was always up early. She was pretty sure that Dee had noticed something about her wasn't quite right. Jenny didn't want to think how she was going to explain to her friends what she was feeling at the moment. She was just pleased she was lucky enough to be able to go to the same university as Dee and Audrey.  
  
Zach had gone to study art and photography on Paris, lucky guy. Michael had gone to London to study English literature. They were all going to get together when finals were over.  
  
And Tom, dear, sweet Tommy...Jenny had no idea what had happened to Tom. He'd been so different since the Games were finally over. He never told her what he was doing after high school. He'd more or less drifted away from the group completely. He used to call her sometimes, but he hadn't called in months. Where was Tommy now? She missed him.  
  
Jenny got out of bed, slipping into her robe, picked up her sponge bag and heading for the girl's shower room. She came back feeling a little more refreshed, but not too brilliant.  
  
By the time Jenny returned to her room, Wendy, her roommate was up. "Morning," Jenny said. Wendy barely grunted. Jenny had given up trying to be nice to Wendy. The girl was quiet, hardly seemed to talk to anyone. Jenny had never seen her bring any friends back to the room.   
  
Jenny didn't say anything and dumped her sponge bag on her bed. She took the towel hanging around her neck and began to rub her wet hair dry with it. She reached out for her gold ring on the nightstand. It always sat on a little china dish when she went in the shower rooms, she was afraid of losing it in there.   
  
The ring wasn't where she'd left it. A surge of alarm shot through her. It had to be there, just had to be. Jenny searched frantically, opening the night stand's single draw. No ring. She groped around the floor in case she'd knocked the ring off onto the carpet. Nothing. She felt tears stinging her eyes. That ring, with it's 'I am my only Master; inscription, was her most prized possession. Her only proof that Julian had existed.   
  
"Have you seen my gold ring?" Jenny asked.   
  
"Some girl came in and said you'd agreed to lend it to her," Wendy answered.  
  
Jenny bit her lip in confusion, at the same time tugging on a strand of wet blond hair. She'd never agree to lend that ring to anyone. She didn't even like other people touching it, or asking to get a closer look. It was *hers*, and meant a great deal to her. "What girl?" she demanded.   
  
"She was weird, kind of like - " Wendy broke off and shook her head, turning away facing her desk, refusing to look at Jenny.  
  
"Like what? Come on, you can't shock me." Jenny tried to smile, but got the feeling the smile probably looked more like a grimace.  
  
Wendy glanced at her, her dark eyes still avoiding Jenny's green ones. "Like she stepped out of the shadows, okay? She took the ring, said her thing, I looked away, and she was gone. I didn't hear her come in, or leave." Wendy's tone was harsh, like she was the one with the problem, like it was something of hers that had gone missing.   
  
"I don't suppose you got a name?" Jenny asked.  
  
"No," Wendy said bluntly.  
  
Jenny sat on her bed trying to figure out what had just happened. A woman appearing like out of shadows. She never recalled hearing *anything* about Shadow Women.   
  
* * * 


	2. Part 1

Part 1  
  
Rephaia turned the gold ring over in her hand, trying to understand the fascination for the human girl who had rejected the power of the Shadow World. She stared out the window at the endless snow, the icy mountains in the distance, the frozen lakes up close surrounded by her ice sculptures. The large majestic shapes glittered in the sunless sky. Unusual creatures - griffins, phoenixes sphinxes, cougars, elephants and giraffes to name a few (not your usual dull topiary animals). Well, after all it was *her* world, she could sculpt what she liked.  
  
As for the house itself she wasn't all that keen on it. She hadn't asked for it she had inherited it. The icky humans who came to visit were just plain *weird*. They ran around a lot and screamed in the different rooms. Rephaia hadn't exactly worked out how the place worked yet.  
  
The pets, the Creeper and the Lurker weren't really all that helpful. They must have been *his*, belonged to the previous owner. A space had been carved into the Runestave, and needed to be filled. She was the one who had filled it. No one would talk much about the one who had been cast out. It was crime to say his name.   
  
All she knew was because it had been of a human girl called Jenny Thornton. Boring, dull name.   
  
Rephaia held up the ring again. 'I am my only master' was inscribed on the inside. Though the letters seemed to flicker, a different phrase appeared as she looked at it, reading 'All I refuse & thee I chuse.' The binding ritual. So how come the words had changed?  
  
She tugged on a strand of her ever-changing rainbow coloured hair with irritation as she paced around the drawing room of the house, the one the visitors arrived in when they came to see her.   
  
The room seemed to change constantly. Right now there was a beige carpet, a huge chandelier, a jade green suede couch by the window, a hideously patterned armoire in a yucky dusky rose colour, and a large mirror that had no glass.  
  
The Creeper was curled on top of the armoire. Rephaia was all alone. Even though she knew she shouldn't have, Rephaia had Forbidden Door to see what this Jenny Thornton who couldn't make up her mind if she was her only master, or refuse all else and choose one unnamed person was really like.   
  
The girl the Cast Out one had given his life for was hardly impressive. She was all *pink* and *blonde* and seemed kind of dull. She had taken the ring out of - well, not quite spite. The girl had broken the sacred vows the ring stood for and didn't deserve to have it any more.  
  
Only thing was, that girl had already visited the house. Most likely she wouldn't want to visit it again. Rephaia needed some new people in there. Preferably ones who wouldn't start screaming like babies. Some company would be nice. For some reason the other Shadow People didn't seem to care much for her world of ice, anymore.   
  
They had gone to all the fuss of carving her in the Rune Stave, she had never seen another woman amongst them, and now they were ignoring her? That made no sense to Rephaia at all. And there wasn't anyone around she could complain to.   
  
It was time some new visitors were admitted to the house. Time to go back to the human world and find some volunteers.   
  
She moved to stand in front of the glassless mirror, waving her hand. A door appeared in the mirror, letting her through into what looked like a cross between a teenage temper tantrum destructive session and a forgotten attic.  
  
Things were tossed around, scattered to every corner carelessly. Rephaia didn't even know what half of the things were. She looked at the large window out front, at the people walking past, glancing at her curiously. She turned the sign on the door to read 'Open'.   
  
Rephaia smiled. Sooner or later, someone would come in. Someone would find the key to the house.  
  
~First come, first served~ she thought.  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 2

Part 2  
  
"I promised Wendy I'd get her something...different...but I have no idea where to even start looking. And the party is tonight. So I figured you were the best person to help me," Ben pleaded. Ben Hammerson was notorious for leaving things to the last minute. He just couldn't seem to organise anything.  
  
Jill Byers found it kind of cute. Unfortunately, Ben was Wendy's boyfriend and therefore forbidden territory. She watched him where he was lounging in her desk chair. His lanky body was leaning forward, almost to the point of toppling the thing over as he tugged nervously at his mop of messy curly black hair.  
  
Jill shrugged, "What'd you want me to do? I didn't know Wendy knew enough people for a party." Ben had come knocking on her door, banging frantically almost like he was running from a certain death. Jill had almost panicked herself at her friend's desperate knocking and let him in immediately, only to discover he'd forgotten to get Wendy a birthday present.   
  
Actually, Jill didn't really know Wendy as well as Ben did. They were in a few classes together, shared a study group and talked sometimes. Jill liked her okay, but felt Wendy was kind of a private person. She had just passed it off as shyness.   
  
Ben shrugged. "Help me find something. Anything. Come on, I'm desperate here," he said, smiling sheepishly.   
  
Jill wound a strand of ginger hair around her finger. "Well...."  
  
"I will *beg* if I have to."  
  
Jill giggled at the image of Ben on his knees in front of her, begging her to help him find a birthday present. "O*kay*," she said, pulling on a pink leather jacket. "I suppose I can spare *some* time."  
  
As Ben stood up his blue eyes were twinkling. "Great. If I wasn't spoken for, I'd kiss you." He winked at her as he headed for her door.   
  
~You could kiss me anyway~ Jill thought wistfully.  
  
Once outside Jill's dorm building she and Ben found the Californian morning was typically bright and sunny, despite the early hour. It was only nine-fifteen, but students were everywhere, several of them waving at Jill and Ben as they walked across the large grassy area in front of the dorm building.  
  
"Hey, that's new." Ben pointed at a new thrift shop next to the cafeteria. Jill had never noticed any shop next to the cafeteria building, which was weird, since she went there all the time. Her friend Dawn adored thrift shops - she hadn't mentioned this one.  
  
"Might as well start there," she suggested.  
  
"You really think we can find something in that place?" Ben asked doubtfully.  
  
Jill shrugged. "Why not?"   
  
As they went into the shop Jill was almost amazed to find it was the weirdest place she had ever been in. Clothes, books, knickknacks, furniture, antiques and even toys were tossed around in the most unorganised way she'd ever seen.  
  
"Okay, this place isn't so bad," Ben said with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, cause it's as weird and disorganised and like you," Jill snorted.  
  
"Can I help you two find something?"   
  
The voice held an accent Jill couldn't quite place. Maybe it was Swiss. Jill really had no idea and was just guessing. Jill turned to see who was speaking.  
  
The girl the most bizarre person Jill had ever seen. Her hair was long, reaching past her waist, a shade somewhere between pink and rose. Her skin was icy pale and flawless, looking smooth enough to skate on. Her lips were the palest of pinks. The shimmery long lavender dress she wore seemed to enhance her other worldly beauty. Small and ginger haired, thin and ordinary in a white top, blue jeans and pink leather jacket Jill felt indescribably dull compared to this amazing creature.   
  
"Yeah, we're looking for a birthday present for our friend Wendy," Ben said. He just looked at the girl, seeming completely unfazed by her beauty. Did this stunning girl really have *no* effect on him? He couldn't be *that* in love with *Wendy*, could he?  
  
"Anything special in special in mind? " The girl moved to a table, stroking a pile of brightly coloured clothes, head tilted to one side, almost as if she were listening to them.   
  
"Nope, not really. "Ben picked a gold bracelet off the counter and held it out to Jill.  
  
Jill shook her head. "Too mundane."  
  
"How about this?" The girl was holding what looked like a model of a door. It sat on a white base surrounded by six golden keys.   
  
Ben's eyebrows rose quizzically as he poked at the door. "What's it do?"  
  
"The keys open the door. A different room for each key. Then you need to find the key to get out again."  
  
Jill shrugged helplessly. It made no sense to her. Wendy would probably love it. "Sure, he'll take it."  
  
"I will?" Ben asked. He eyed Jill with that cute look of puppy-dog doubtfulness as he had before when he didn't know if the store would be the right place to look for a present.  
  
"Yeah." Jill realised her tone might sound curt , but she found herself wanting to get out of the store as fast as possible. It wasn't the girl who set her on edge, it was - it was...  
  
She couldn't even finish the sentence. Maybe she was just being paranoid. The girl went behind the counter and put the door and key model in a gold box.  
  
The girl flashed them a smile. "That'll be five dollars, then."  
  
Ben fished in his pocket and pulled out a crumbled bill and handed it over. "Dawn would love this shop, wouldn't she?"  
  
"Guess so," Jill mumbled. "Can we go now?"  
  
"See you guys tonight."  
  
Jill gave the girl a sharp look about to ask what she meant. The girl just gave her another friendly smile and waved.  
  
Ben took her arm and propelled her out the shop. "Well that was easier than I thought. Thanks."  
  
"Don't mention it," Jill said, though she wasn't really sure what she had done.   
  
"See you at the party later. It's going to be in Paul's dorm." Ben waved and jogged off, taking the gold box with him.  
  
Jill shuddered and looked back at the thrift shop. It was *gone*.  
  
She stared in utter disbelief. How was that possible? She and Ben had just been there. She marched back to the place. There was nothing there. No sign that the shop had ever existed.   
  
Jill shook her head in confusion. ~What the hell?~ she thought.  
  
"You look like you've just seen a ghost."  
  
A tap on Jill's shoulder made her jump. She turned around to see her friend Dawn. Dawn was looking at her kind of oddly. Jill glanced back at where the shop had been again. "There was - " Jill broke off. There was absolutely no way she could have imagined the store. Ben had been there with her. He had *bought* something. He was her witness.  
  
"What?" Dawn asked.  
  
Jill shook her head. "Nothing."  
  
* * * 


End file.
